Getting a new RecTec

[Marauderer]

I vacuumed out the inside of the drum and the pellet hopper




And then I installed the vent which comes preassembled and it is adjustable.



Next we had the sensor wiring to run and you need to take your time and be careful with this. Carefully remove the tie wrapm from the wiring.


Run the wires carefully out the hole under the prob being careful not to kink it. Also get the black insulating sheathing as close to the probe as possible.

[Marauderer]

This is what the wiring and sheathing look like exiting the end of the box.


Now you are going to remove the bottom cover on the control box


Next run the prob wires through the rubber grommet into the control box.
When you attach the control unit to the box I slid all the extra probe wiring into the control box and slid the sheathing insulation in also taking all the excess wiring and sheathing into the control box.


The black sheathing excess you can see inside the control box.

[Marauderer]

It says to attach the prob wires to the RDTA lugs. I then just laid the excess wiring inside the control box so it wasn't kinked.




And closed up the control box.



And then the rains came and it is still raining.

[The Burn]

I probably won't ever get a pellet rig, but if I did I'd buy this one just for these excellent setup instructions and photos.

[mgaretz]

Wow, looks like they have upgraded a few things since I got mine, and that was just in May! They added the sheathing to the RTD wires and the controller box cover now goes on a lot easier (though mine wasn't really that hard). Mine was just four small sheet metal screws - now it looks like two tongues and two screws. Also looks they have added a bracket to keep that RTD from being knocked out of position.

[Marauderer]

Mark, the controller box is held on with 4 10 mm bolts. I will get a pic and post it tomorrow.

[mgaretz]

Barry, you're talking about the whole shelf (controller box) attachment to the barrel. Mine attaches the same way. I was referring specifically to the box's cover (which ends up on the bottom) - the part you remove to get to the circuit board.

[Marauderer]

My Bad! I misunderstood. Mine only has two screws now as the other end has sliding lugs.

[David Parrish]

Great posts Barry. Great pics too!

[Marauderer]

I have to work tomorrow and if it doesn't rain I should just about finish it. Now that is the kiss of death as it will probably be a gully washer right after i get home. I hope not.

[_John_]

Have had many a motor in my house, best place for doing them, especially the old air cooled VW's. And who doesn't do their pistons in the kitchen sink?

[Marauderer]

John I can see we went to different schools together earlier in life. The Corvair, air cooled motor, was put in a 68 VW. I built the motor to 195 hp and it was an NA motor. Needless to say the VW was quick as the Corvair motor weighed less that 100 lb more than the VW motor.

[The Burn]

Man, I miss my Corvair. My 1st car - a '68 that I got in '80 with only 29,000 miles on it. Leaked oil like a sieve, of course, but it was fun.

[CandySueQ]

Sweet! Happy Smokin' to you!

[Marauderer]

Thanks CandySue! I am going into new waters so to speak and enjoying the journey.

[Marauderer]

The Grill is assembled and it is lite and headed to 400*F for one hour to finish seasoning the powder coating. I have pics and will post what I did to get there.

[TheFienshmeker]

I love it, thanks, I cant wait to hear how it runs, Ive been looking to buy the rec tec but there are "haters" out there that always say "you cant get real smoke from pellet grill" so Im going back and forth in my mind between RecTec and Backwoods Chubb,
I can't wait to hear your results.

[Huskee]

I love it, thanks, I cant wait to hear how it runs, Ive been looking to buy the rec tec but there are "haters" out there that always say "you cant get real smoke from pellet grill" so Im going back and forth in my mind between RecTec and Backwoods Chubb,
I can't wait to hear your results.

Don't worry about haters. Extreme or biased viewpoints should be disregarded. That's like someone saying Ford is junk, or cars are for women- real men drive trucks. That's dumb. Educated, honest, experienced views are what you should base your choice on. Personally, I have had meat from a pellet smoker, electric smoker, gas smoker, charcoal, charcoal+wood, and straight logs. I do not care as much for electric as I do pellet; and I don't care for pellets as much as I do charcoal/logs, and depending on the meat, I largely prefer straight logs. I am just saying this honestly, since this is my taste profile preference. The next guy reading this is likely to say I'm all wrong, but it's all subjective and personal. Just like cars vs trucks vs vans.

If there's a way for you to try meat from BOTH before making your choice (charcoal+wood vs pellet), I would recommend that. Don't just look at ease of use, a pellet will likely ALWAYS win in that regard, that is why they were invented in the first place. Look at what flavor you like- minimal to medium smoke, or medium to strong smoke. You'll be eating the product for (likely) a lifetime. Look next at what you want to have to do, or NOT do. Do you want to push a button and 10 hrs later have it done? = Pellet smoker. Do you like tending a fire, and like that (IMHO) more authentic flavor of wood? =Backwoods. Do you want to build & tend a bonfire and have food come out the other side? = EOS.

I hope I've made some points to think about w/o coming across as a hater or biased.

[Marauderer]

This shows the four bolts that hold on the control box

This shows the connector for the auger and the blower. Lots of extra cable


I then tucked the excess cable back into the box.


I then mounted the handles and there was some movement in the holes so with the lid closed lifting up I took out the excess playand tightened them up

[Jon Solberg]

Just keeps getting better man!

[Marauderer]

I love it, thanks, I cant wait to hear how it runs, Ive been looking to buy the rec tec but there are "haters" out there that always say "you cant get real smoke from pellet grill" so Im going back and forth in my mind between RecTec and Backwoods Chubb,
I can't wait to hear your results.

As Aaron said don't worry about the haters. Some won't like the RecTec because it is made in China. Really it is a CMAD unit. CMAD= China Made American Designed. I am comfortable with that. I really like American made but it isn't the only way to go all the time.

[Marauderer]

The Airbox assembly. At the rear is the hole where you can see the auger. After it is all plugged in and set uo you turn it on and make sure the auger is turning clockwise. You also vacuum out the Airbox and make sure it is nice and clean with no debris in it.


Next you install the Flame deflector. It looks like it has a film on it but, mine didn't and it was evident it didn't when I did the initial burn in. The Flame Deflector only installs one way and it is very evident the correct way.






On top of the flame deflector goes the drip pan. It also looks like it has a film on it but, it doesn't.


It only installs one way. You do need to be careful of the box temperature probe when installing/removing the drip tray.